Cycle for Survival

Yesterday, I had the incredible honor of participating in my first Cycle for Survival ride. There are no words to describe this experience. It is nothing short of inspiring. Equinox does an incredible job, INCREDIBLE JOB, of pulling together and hosting this event. There were over 500 riders who signed up to participate and ride for a great cause. 100% of donations toward this event go to Memorial Sloan Kettering. Yes, 100%!!

In 2001, I was working for Accenture in Raleigh, NC when my Dad called me in the middle of the work day to tell me that my mother had been diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer. I don't remember hearing anything after that. My mother was 56 years old and a walking ad for a healthy 50 year old woman. She was active in her community and church, went for long walks and hikes with my Dad every night and had the healthiest diet of anyone I knew. She was the perfect example of how to stay 'young and healthy' in your 50s. 

I remember hanging up the phone, walking directly to my manager's office and saying, "I have to go home. My Mom has cancer." I could not tell you if he responded and if so, what his response was. I simply turned around, walked out of the office and got in my car. To this day, I don't know how I made it home. I remember crying so hard that I could not see through my tears. I remember thinking this is not supposed to happen to my best friend and the one person who has given up so much for me to have the best life. She's supposed to see me get married and have children. 

Over the next few months, the prognosis was not good. The doctors in California were not comfortable operating or taking any action given how advanced the cancer was. Fortunately, my Dad refuses to take No for an answer. He spent months researching doctors and came across a well know Whipple surgeon at Sloan Kettering. As luck would have it, Dad had a friend who knew the doctor personally. His friend put them in touch and after reviewing Mom's charts and scans, asked my parents to fly to NY as soon as possible. They were there within days and the doctor and his team, performed the whipple on Mom the day after she arrived. That surgery, along with the post operative care and Mom's incredible spirit, are the reason she lived three and a half years after she was diagnosed. I am forever grateful to Dr. Kim and the incredible team of doctors, nurses and staff at Sloan Kettering. 

So yesterday, I rode in honor of my mother. While this was possibly the MOST fun I have ever had raising money for cancer, there was a moment when I was overcome with emotion realizing how much I missed her and how my children will never know her. For this reason, I will continue to support this incredible cause and never give up on the fight for a cure.

To Learn More about Cycle for Survival, visit www.cycleforsurvival.org

Tabata to Kill Ya (Community Fitness)

My fitness hero, Tricia, teaches my favorite class of the week - Monday Tabata @ Community Fitness. There is nothing like a good Tricia Tabata. Her workouts incorporate cardio, strength and core to create a challenging full body workout.

For those of you who have never taken a tabata class, I highly recommend it. It's 8 rounds of 20 seconds on and 10 seconds off for 4 minute sets. The idea is to go breathless in each 20 second effort. For the cardio junkie with a short attention span, this is my FAVORITE workout of all times. 20 seconds is enough to keep me focused and push myself to hit breathless.

Pair the format of the class with one of the best fitness instructors you will find and you cannot lose. Tricia is known in our gym and throughout the community for her incredible fitness knowledge, her never ending energy and her positivity. She is known for phrases such as, "Just say YES!", "You're Not Tired!" and "We got this, Monday!!" She always provides options for each exercise which allows you to adjust each day based on what your body needs.

What I love abut Tricia's workouts are they predictable yet challenging. They are predictable in the sense that rounds 1, 2, 4, 5, 7 and 8 are always cardio and strength while rounds 3 and 6 incorporate core exercises on the ground. (Don't be fooled, most of the time, the core exercises on the ground are the hardest part of the workout. Think CRAZY plank exercises!) But because the workouts are never the same, your body is constantly challenged to push your limits. 

Today, for one of the core workouts, Tricia had us start in plank position then slowly move your hips back while you moved down to your forearms without moving your hands. Once there, she had us dip one hip before moving our hips forward and move off our forearms onto our hands. Exercises like this one can make 20 seconds feel like an eternity....literally...

I highly recommend trying out a Monday Tabata class with Tricia The class is less crowded than her weekend class and she does a stellar job of working in exercises that utilize the extra space. Translation: harder workout and more love for your body!! You will walkout of class exhausted but reenergize and ready to tackle anything. 

Workout Scale:

Cardio: 4/5

Core: 4/5

Legs: 4/5

Arms: 4/5

Tabata and Mid Week Stretching (Community Fitness)

Wednesdays start with 6 AM Tabata @ CFit with one of my favorite instructors, Josh. His energy is hard to beat and you are guaranteed a full body workout with his class. Josh organizes his class by stations (which is different from the other Tabata classes at CFit). His format is consistent - the class starts with 4 cardio stations followed by 4 strength stations. It's exactly what I need to wake up my body and get going. 

One of my favorite things about Josh's class is the station format allows us to use the full space  of the room. This means you can guarantee there will be some sort of sprinting or other exercise that will require you to run the full length of the room. As someone who loves to all out sprint, this is my favorite part of his class. Today the class was pretty crowded so he had us doing sprints, side shuffles, grapevines and bear crawls halfway across the room. The other three stations incorporated the step, weights and medicine balls (some of my favorites).

Today for strength, we had a variety of arm workouts, abs, chest and sprinter starts. Josh's favorite way for us to do sprinter starts is to go 4 rounds on the same leg before switching. BRUTAL. But if there's anyone that can get you through it, it's Josh.

The energy of this class is hard to top. The combo of Josh, the music and the other members is exactly what I need to get me through a midweek hump. And believe me when I say, just when you think you can't get through a routine, Josh will yell at you from across the room to keep moving. He's always watching!!

One thing that Josh has taught me is the importance of foam rolling and stretching. So when I get back from his class, the first thing I do (after packing the kids lunches) is spend 15 extra minutes stretching and foam rolling before I log on to start working. I call it my mid week stretch session. It's short, it's sweet but it's effective. I have found that just adding this extra 15 minutes has made me feel so much better. I used to go days with my legs feeling tight and sore from back to back workouts. The stretching and rolling has helped relieve a lot of the soreness. I highly recommend it. If you're interested in a more in depth intro to foam rolling, Josh is hosting a Repair Workshop at CFIT on Saturday, 2/25. 

Workout Scale (NOTE: This rating is just for today's workout. Every workout is different with Josh):

Cardio: 3/5

Core: 2/5

Legs: 4/5

Arms: 4/5

My First Run In with The Reformer (Studio 45)

Visited a new studio last week and I still cannot stop thinking about my workout! Studio 45 was my first attempt at pilates and my first run in with the infamous Reformer. I wasn't sure what to expect and the cardio junkie in me was already trying to figure out if I could sneak in a quick Cycling class before work. 

Studio 45 is a bright, open space. There's no true lobby area which made it a bit awkward when I first arrived given there was a class in session. However, this quickly worked to my advantage as I was able to observe and mentally prepare myself. The slow and steady strength exercises made me realize I was going to be in for a real treat.

When the instructor realized I was new, she quickly walked me through the layout of the reformer and gave me an overview of all the key features. Given she had 5 minutes between classes, she was effective and concise.

Once class started, I knew I was in love. Within 5 minutes I was already shaking. With pilates, the slower the better. This required the multitasking Mom in me to stop thinking about what to pack in the kids lunches that morning and what key meetings I had on my calendar and focus entirely on my body. The workout ranged from planks to lunges. There were opportunities to incorporate arms with 2.5 or 5 lb dumbells but they were not incorporated into the workout in the sense that the instructor has specific moves she coached you through. By the end of the 45 minutes class I was already wondering when I could return for my second session and whether I would be too sore to walk the next morning. 

Thumbs up to Studio 45 for their gorgeous space and forcing me to slow down for once!

Workout Scale:

Cardio: 0/5

Core: 4/5

Legs: 3/5

Arms: 1/5

Ride or Die (Community Fitness)

I start 4 days a week on one of these bikes at Community Fitness and I love it more than I thought I ever would. My key to success has been finding teachers like Kristin Adams, Tricia Madden and Heather Gervais who have the perfect mix of great music, positive energy and never ending words of encouragement! Get out there and give it a whirl if you haven't already! #CFit